Anger Management 101
by J. B. Tilton
Summary: After Cole is fired from legal aid for attacking a slumlord, he’s forced to take an anger management course.
1. Chapter 1

CHARMED

"Anger Management 101"

By J. B. Tilton (a.k.a. NoAzMale) and Teri Thibeault (a.k.a. K+

Disclaimer: "Charmed" and all related characters and events are the property of the WB television network, except for those characters specifically created for this story. This is a work of fan fiction and no infringement of copyright is intended.

After Cole is fired from legal aid for attacking a slumlord, he's forced to take an anger management course.

ONE

Cole came into the kitchen and found everyone else all ready at the breakfast table.

"Hey sweetie," said Phoebe. "I thought I'd let you sleep in for a bit. You had a pretty rough day yesterday."

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that, Paige," said Cole. "I guess I just sort of lost my temper."

"Well, attacking Yates wasn't the best course of action," said Paige. "Cynthia was really upset about it."

"I hope it didn't cause you any problems," said Cole. "That was not my intention."

"No," sighed Paige, "thankfully Cynthia doesn't hold it against me. She did say, however, that you should do something about your temper."

"It was an anomaly," said Cole. "It's just taking some time getting used to being human is all. I can assure you it won't happen again."

"Yeah, well it's probably best if you stay out of Social Services for a while," said Paige. "Cynthia talked Yates out of filing a lawsuit against us but you're not exactly her favorite person right now."

"I guess I'll just have to find some other job," said Cole. "Something that I'm better suited for. Being an ADA you expect the defendants to be scumbags. And usually they're the ones causing the trouble and making the threats."

"I guess that's the difference between criminal law and civil law," said Phoebe.

"Well, whatever job you get it's probably not a good idea to go around punching out the people you work with," said Piper. "Most places of business kind of frown on stuff like that."

"The guy deserved it," Cole protested. "He's a slumlord who preys on the people who live in his buildings. Guys like that should be taken out and . . . ."

"As an attorney," Leo interrupted, "you should know there are legal remedies for things like that. If the guy really is a slumlord you should be able to find a legal way to deal with him."

"I know," said Cole. "It's just so frustrating, that's all. I'm not really used to dealing with things that way."

"Well, you have only been human about a month," said Phoebe. "It will just take some time to adjust, that's all. Give it time, sweetie. You'll adjust."

"I hope so," said Cole.

Just then there was a knock at the back door.

"Who could that be?" Piper asked. "And why would someone be knocking at the back door?"

"Well, why don't you answer it and find out," said Paige.

Piper opened the door to see a postal worker standing on the back porch. As she opened the door he looked up from his clipboard.

"Good morning," he said cheerfully. "I'm looking for a Cole Turner. I have a registered letter for him."

"Why did you come to the back door?" Piper asked.

"It just seemed the best way," said the postal worker. "Is Mr. Turner here?"

"Yes, I'm here," said Cole.

"Oh, good," said the postal worker. "If you could just sign here please. I require a signature before I can deliver the letter."

Cole signed the clipboard and the postal worker handed him the registered letter. The postal worker thanked him and then suddenly flamed out.

"What was that?" Piper asked. "Was that a demon? Was there just a demon on the back porch?"

"Since when do demons deliver the mail?" Phoebe asked.

"It's from the Other World Bureau of Licensing and Weights and Measures," said Cole reading the letter. "I've been suspended."


	2. Chapter 2

TWO

"What do you mean suspended?" Phoebe asked. "Suspended from what?"

"My law license," said Cole. "It's been suspended. Listen to this.

"_Dear Mr. Turner. It has come to the attention of the Other World Bureau of Licensing and Weights and Measures that you have recently been the instigator of an unprovoked physical altercation against a mortal human. It has also come to our attention that this physical alteration was an inappropriate response to a verbal disagreement precipitated by what you perceived as the inappropriate actions or behavior of said mortal human. Please be advised that such behavior in the mortal realm is completely unacceptable when dealing with mortal humans while operating in your capacity to blend in with human society._

"_Effective immediately please be advised that your license to practice law in both the mortal realm and the Other World realm has been suspended and all appropriate departments and agencies have been advised as such. In addition, a temporary notation has been made in your file indicating that you are unavailable and ineligible for employment as long as your licenses are suspended. In order to have your licenses reinstated and the notation removed from your file it is necessary that the incident in question be expunged from your file._

"_To this end you are hereby ordered to attend anger management as prescribed by Other World Health and Safety Regulations. Regulations specify that any violent outburst deemed inappropriate with regard to mortal humans necessitates that the offending party attend said anger management course within two weeks of the offense or risk permanent revocation of all licenses and credentials. Other World Health and Safety Regulations also require the offending party to cooperate fully with the administrator of said anger management course to successfully complete the course._

"_You are hereby ordered to attend said anger management course within the specified two week time limit to have your licenses reinstated. Failure to do so will result in the immediate and permanent revocation of your law licenses for both the mortal realm and the Other World realm. Upon successful completion of the said anger management course it will be necessary to present the certificate of completion to the main office of the Other World Health and Safety Regulations. Once the certificate is on file in the proper office your licenses will be reinstated and the temporary notations in your file will be removed. Sincerely, Chief Administrator, Other World Office of Health and Safety."_

"What does that all mean?" Phoebe asked.

"It means," said Cole, "that since I threw Yates out of my office at legal aid, I'm guilty of unacceptable violence in the workplace. As a result my license to practice law has been suspended in both the mortal realm and the Other World realm which means I can't legally practice law either place. And the only way to get my licenses back is to attend an anger management course."

"Can they do that?" Paige asked. "Suspend your licenses in both places at the same time?"

"I'm afraid they can," said Cole. "As a demonic attorney, stipulates that I have to be licensed on both the mortal realm and the Other World realm. That way I can represent a client if the case should overlap in the two realms. And the Other World Bureau of Licensing and Weights and Measures controls the licensing for both."

"Can't you appeal it or something?" Paige asked. "I'll admit that your response may not have been all that appropriate but I don't think one outburst is enough to say you have problems with anger. We all loose our temper some times."

"I'm afraid there's nothing I can do," said Cole. "If I want to get my law licenses back I'll have to attend the class. It also says there's a notation in my file saying I can't get another kind of job until I take care of this. That means that no matter what I do no one will hire me as long as the notation is in my file."

"And there's no recourse for you?" Piper asked.

"No," said Cole. "I'm afraid I don't have any other choice. All I can do is go to the class and get the certificate and this will all be over."

"Well, I'll go with you," said Phoebe. "If I can't get you out of it at least I can go and give you moral support."

"I'm afraid that's not allowed," said Cole. "Only those participating in the class are allowed to attend. Besides, it's a class for demons who live on the mortal realm. Everyone will be a demon that's had similar anger issues. On top of which it's held at three o'clock in the morning. To keep any humans from inadvertently stumbling into the class."

"Wait a minute," said Phoebe. "Your demonic half is gone. How come you have to attend this class if it's only for demons? Shouldn't you be exempt or something?"

"Genetically, I'm still have demon," said Cole, "even if I don't have my powers any more. It's like being born half Jewish or half black. Nothing can change that physically I'm half demon. So technically, under bureaucracy demon rules, I'm still under the authority of Other World law. Which means I still have to attend the class."

"How long is the class?" Leo asked.

"That depends," said Cole. "The longer it takes the participants to agree they have a problem and make a concerted effort to try and change, the longer the course will last. Don't worry. I'll go to the class, listen to the instructor make his shpeal about how that kind of behavior is inappropriate, agree that I was out of line, and do my best to change. Then he'll sign the certificate and it will all be over."

"Somehow I don't think it's going to that easy," said Leo.

"Oh, it will be a bit more complicated than that," said Cole. "But I can be very persuasive. I'll probably have to be there a few hours but it will more than likely be just the one night. I'll schedule the class right away. The sooner I get it over with the sooner I can get my license back."

"Well, if you need any help, let us know," said Phoebe. "We'll do whatever we can to make it as easy as possible."

"I will," said Cole. "But you'll see. It will be a piece of cake."


	3. Chapter 3

THREE

Cole walked into the classroom for the anger management class. Nearly a dozen other demons were milling around talking as a man stood at the blackboard in the back of the room writing on it. Cole looked around nervously. Most of these demons would still be in good standing with the hierarchy. It wasn't inconceivable that word that he was still alive might get back to the Source.

"Will everyone take their seat, please," said the man at the back of the room. The demons all sat at the desks that were set up in a circle in the center of the room. "My name is Mr. Tucker. I'll be conducting this class on anger management 101. "Now, we all know why we're here. We've all had issues with our anger. And we've expressed that anger in ways that are inappropriate in the mortal realm.

"I would like to begin by saying that what goes on in this class stays in this class. You aren't allowed to discuss it with anyone outside of this room. Not even who the other participants are. If you do, well, let's just say the circumstances could be unfortunate. Everything that happens in this room is considered to be in the strictest of confidence. Now, we'll begin by each of you introducing yourselves and the reason you were sent to this class."

One by one the demons stood up and introduced themselves using only their human names. Then they would describe the event that had led them to being required to take the class. Eventually it was Cole's turn.

"Hello, I'm Cole Turner. Well, I was working for Legal Aid in San Francisco. I had a case with a dirt bag slumlord who had turned off the power to one of his buildings. An elderly lady caught pneumonia and then he tried to evict her. I guess I just lost it and I threw him out of my office."

"That don't sound so bad," said one of the other demons. "People get thrown out of offices every day. Why would they send you here for that?"

"No, I mean I threw him out of my office," said Cole. "Physically. I realize I was wrong and it was inappropriate for me to do that. I have decided to keep a better reign on my temper in the future so that it doesn't happen again."

"Which I doubt will be that easy," said Mr. Tucker.

"I beg your pardon?" questioned Cole.

"I seriously doubt if you've suddenly come to that realization so quickly," said Mr. Tucker. "You referred to him as a 'dirt bag', which means you still think of him the same way you did when you threw him out of your office. And if you felt it necessary to throw him out then, you probably feel the same way now."

"That doesn't mean I don't realize it was wrong," said Cole. "I overreacted, that's all. That's not normal for me. But we all loose control once in a while."

"Which can be quite dangerous on the mortal realm," said Mr. Tucker. "Most mortals are no match for our demonic strength. And if you should inadvertently kill a mortal, well that could expose us to the mortal world. And we all know that's not an option."

"Look, it was a momentarily lapse," said Cole. "It's not going to happen again, I can assure you of that."

"That's not necessarily true, now is it?" asked Mr. Tucker.

"I don't know what you mean," said Cole.

"What about the Triad?" asked Mr. Tucker. "Was vanquishing them a 'momentary lapse'?"

"That was you?" questioned one of the other demons. "You vanquished the Triad?"

"Only because they were going to kill me," said Cole. "That was self-defense not an issue with anger."

"But you were angry when you did it," said Mr. Tucker.

"Wouldn't you be angry if someone tried to kill you?" Cole asked.

"This isn't about me," said Mr. Tucker. "It's about you. And what about Krell? You vanquished him as well, didn't you?"

"Because he was trying to kill me," said Cole. "And Phoebe. Again, self-defense."

"You seem to use that excuse quite a bit. Self-defense. What about all the witches you've killed? As I understand it your specialty was killing witches, wasn't it?"

"I was a mercenary. That was my job. Just as I'm sure it was the job of may of the others in here to kill the enemies they were sent after."

"And you killed all of them dispassionately I assume."

"Most of them," replied Cole beginning to get angry. This guy was twisting his words. "That was my job. Emotion very rarely entered into it."

"Very rarely?" repeated Mr. Tucker. "Which means that on some occasions emotions did enter into it."

"That's not what I said," replied Cole.

"It's what you didn't say that I was referring to. Let's be honest, shall we? Your little outburst was more than a 'temporary lapse'. I think it's a symptom of an underlying condition that you've been lying to yourself about. An issue with anger that you've been ignoring for far too long that just suddenly exploded. And if it happened before it will happen again. Quite possibly with some very serious consequences."

"You're wrong. It's not like that. The guy just pissed me off, that's all. It's not likely to happen again."

"Well, considering the circumstances, that's not a very realistic outlook, now is it?"

"What circumstances?"

"You're a lawyer. By its definition, that's an adversarial profession. You deal with antagonist on a daily basis. Many of who, I'm sure, are much worse than this one slumlord. And yet you picked this one insignificant human to lash out at. One who was ill equipped to defend himself against a demon."

"It's not like that," said Cole. "Like I said, it was a momentary lapse. One that's not going to happen again."

"You're emphasizing my point."

"What point?"

"Denial is the first sign of guilt. You seem so intent on convincing us that it was just a momentarily lapse you're actually having the opposite affect. It reminds me of a line from Shakespeare. 'Methinks thou doth protest too much'."

"But I don't have a problem," protested Cole.

"The first step in solving a problem is to admit you have a problem," said Mr. Tucker. "Until you can admit you have a problem you can't begin to address what's causing the problem. That's what we're going to do in this class. Find out what the underlying problem for your anger is. I'm afraid this may take longer than I originally anticipated."

Cole just stared at the demon completely dumbfounded. The demon had taken a simply fit of anger and blown it into something much bigger than it was.


	4. Chapter 4

FOUR

"What do you mean this is going to take longer than you initially anticipated?" Cole asked.

"Just that," said Mr. Tucker. "Most demons who come to this class are at least willing to admit that they might have a problem with anger. It's the nature of demons. The type of behavior that brought you to this class is perfectly acceptable in the Underworld. But if you're going to fit in with the mortal world you have to begin thinking differently. Most humans don't express their anger in such physical terms."

"I can show you plenty of people who express their anger in just those terms," said Cole. "I used to deal with them on a daily basis."

"My point exactly. They express their anger inappropriately and society has to deal with them. Our purpose here is to deal with your anger before it gets to that point."

"Assuming I have a problem with anger," said Cole, "which I don't. I got angry and lost my temper. It happens. That doesn't mean I have any anger issues."

"Which means you're in denial."

"Loosing your temper and having anger issues isn't the same thing," insisted Cole. "I dare say that everyone in this room has lost their temper at one time or another. Even you. It happens. That doesn't mean you have anger issues simply because you loose your temper."

"But loosing your temper is a sign of anger issues. Especially if you show a pattern of loosing your temper which you have done. The Triad, Krell, your so-called dirt bag landlord, they're all signs of something much deeper. Something that is causing you some serious anger issues that we need to deal with."

"And just what deeper issues might those be?"

"You tell me. Something is causing you to lash out those around you. Obviously something has happened that is causing you some deep seated anger that you aren't dealing with. And it's subconsciously causing these outbursts to surface."

"Well, during my initiation into the Brotherhood of the Thorn I got very angry at Malevant. I said some very unflattering things about him and to him. Does that have anything to do with my so-called 'anger issues'?"

"It might well have. Lashing out at a superior is a very definite sign of deep seated anger."

"Except that that happened some fifty or sixty years ago," said Cole triumphantly. "Are you telling me I've been having these 'issues' for the past sixty years?"

"That's quite possible. Until we can identify the cause of the anger there's no telling how far back it may go. Especially with demons anger issues can be very long term. Suppression by a master can cause many demons to harbor resentment for decades or even centuries."

"That's ridiculous. Anger that deep seated is normally caused by repressing your emotions. Demons don't normally suffer from that. They can almost always find someone or something to take their anger out on thereby releasing that anger."

"Not if they can't address the cause of that anger. Simply having a burst of anger may do nothing to relieve the stress caused by that anger. Especially if the cause of that anger is still present. If you can't address the cause of the anger itself it can continue to build and fester inside you for quite a long time."

"I don't believe this," said Cole. "You've taken a single outburst of anger and blown it up into this whole suppression thing. Can't you simply accept the fact that an outburst of anger is simply that: a single instance of someone loosing their temper and nothing more?"

"That has not been my experience," said Mr. Tucker. "Normal, adjusted, healthy adults are able to properly process their anger. Outbursts such as you've described are normally the surface sign of something much deeper."

"Why?" asked one of the other participants. "Look, I know what I did was unacceptable. Before I got the assignment to secure real estate on the mortal plane for the Underworld I was told I had to interact with humans as a human. But they never told me how stupid and idiotic humans could be. I'd finally had just had enough and I blew. It wasn't any deep seated anger issues. I just got fed up, that's all."

"And therein is your problem," said Mr. Tucker. "You're deep seated dislike and distrust of humans if most likely what's causing your anger issues. It's probably the same with all of you. I've found that in most cases it's resentment against humanity that is the basis for these types of anger issues."

"All demons dislike and distrust humans," said Cole. "Why aren't they all in this class?"

"Obviously most demons are able to adequately deal with their issues consciously," said Mr. Tucker. "You have not. That's why you are in this class. It's a classic example of a superior having to pretend to be inferior to accomplish the goals set for them. I've seen it happen a hundred times."

"Let me get this straight," said Cole. "You're saying that because we are so dissimilar from humans we subconsciously resent them. We feel they're inferior and that we resent having to bow and scrape to them to infiltrate their society when we clearly consider ourselves superior to them."

"I believe that would be an adequate assessment of the situation. As demons we naturally feel superior to humans. We're stronger, faster, we have powers they don't. We are clearly superior to them in every way. And to have to pretend to be one of them can cause some demons to resent them which manifests itself in the angry outbursts you've all experienced. And until you can learn to deal with this resentment you will continue to have such outbursts."

Cole couldn't believe his ears. No matter what he said this guy twisted it to make it sound like there were anger issues that weren't there. Cole had lost his temper, pure and simple. Not the first time it had happened and certainly not the last time it would happen. But it was not some deep seated anger over humanity. Only this guy wasn't about to listen to him which meant he might be stuck in this class for months.


	5. Chapter 5

FIVE

"Look at the way some of you are sitting there," said Mr. Tucker. "You're leaning back in your chairs, an obvious position that indicates you're desire to avoid the issue. Many of you have your arms crossed in front of you. Here again, this indicates you've closed yourself off. Your body language is extremely indicative of your resentment toward humanity."

Cole just looked at the instructor. He could see that some of what the instructor might be valid. In some circumstances. And he was completely unwilling to listen to anything any of them had to say. In Cole's opinion, the sign of a bad teacher. It was clear that Cole would have to approach this from a different perspective.

"Okay," said Cole, "I am willing to admit that some demons may have issues with humanity that can cause inappropriate responses. But I think you have to admit that, in some cases, an outburst of anger is simply that. An isolated incident that really has nothing to do with any type of submerged anger issues."

"Oh, I'm willing to admit that," said Mr. Tucker. "But if that were the case – if it were truly an isolated incident – you wouldn't be in my class. You're here because of a pattern of behavior that indicates a very serious problem."

"Pattern?" questioned Cole. "Since when is one incident considered a pattern. Even with sexual harassment it requires more than a single incident. A pattern, by definition, is a series of events of a similar nature."

"Your vanquishing of the Triad, your vanquishing of Krell, the incident at legal aid, I'd call those a series of incidents," said Mr. Tucker.

Cole looked at Mr. Tucker. This guy was an arrogant bastard. He had all the answers and no one was as smart as he was. More than likely he had gone through all the requisite training for teaching a class like this but had very little real world experience. And rarely did book learning and the real world coincide into such a neat little package.

"You know, maybe you're right," said Cole. "I mean, humans are much weaker than we are. They have no powers, they can't even shimmer. And why should we have to pretend to be such inferior beings just because some demonic master thinks it will advance his plans."

"Exactly," said Mr. Tucker. "We don't always know – or agree – with the missions we're sent on. We don't always have the 'big picture', so to speak. We often can't see what the ends of the mission we are on will be. And it's very easy to let our resentment of this fester and build over time."

"I see what you mean," said Cole. "It's like the masters who send us on these missions. They sit down in the Underworld all safe and sound and send us out to do all the dirty work. We take all the risks, many of us end up getting vanquished, and all for what? Some grand design that will benefit the demonic hierarchy? And do they share the rewards with us? Not in the least. They take all the spoils, give us a token payment, and build even more power and prestige for themselves."

"Well, that's not exactly what I was talking about," said Mr. Tucker.

"No, Turner is right," said a demon in the back of the class. "I was sent to sway children to our way of thinking. When I succeeded even better than my master had imagined, he took all the credit for himself. He never even mentioned my name to the Source. It was all him, him, him."

"Yeah, that's exactly what I'm talking about," said Cole.

"I don't think that's the issue here," said Mr. Tucker. "It's not our masters that is the issue here. It's your resentment of humanity that's causing your anger outbursts."

"That's not what you said," said Cole. "You said that suppression by a master can cause many demons to harbor resentment for decades or even centuries. I'm just conceding your point. If you don't understand the overall purpose for what you're doing it's easy to resent the missions you're sent on."

"I didn't mean to imply that it was the masters you were upset with," said Mr. Tucker. "You lashed out at humans. Trying to remove the cause of your frustration."

"But wouldn't the cause of that frustration be the masters who sent us on the missions?" questioned Cole. "Didn't you also said that if you can't address the cause of the anger itself it can continue to build and fester inside you for quite a long time?"

"Yes I did," said Mr. Tucker. "But what I meant was . . . ."

"It seems perfectly clear to me what you meant," said Cole. "We can't address the cause of our anger. The cause being the masters who sent us on the missions. I think the deep seated anger issues have less to do with the humans we have to deal with and more with the masters who send us on those missions."

"That's not the case," said Mr. Tucker. "You lashed out at humans. We normally lash out at the cause of our frustration."

"Except when it's not possible to lash out at the cause of our frustration," said Cole. "You said so yourself. If we can't confront what's causing our frustration we lash out at whatever is nearest. Mainly the humans we're sent to infiltrate."

"You're twisting my words," said Mr. Tucker.

"How?" questioned Cole innocently. "They're your words. I'm just repeating what you told us. And I can see your point of view. I guess I just never thought of it before. We are completely frustrated and the arrogant masters who take no risks and take all the benefits and that frustration manifests itself in our anger toward humans."

"Yeah, I agree with Turner," said another demon. "I don't like humans but I don't have anything against the ones I have to deal with, either. It's the masters who send me on the missions that tick me off. If it weren't for them I wouldn't have to deal with some of the idiotic humans I come into contact with every single day."

"I think we're loosing sight of the real issue here," said Mr. Tucker. "Our outbursts of anger toward the humans. That's an indication of hostility toward humans."

"Our outbursts?" questioned Cole. "Aren't we the ones in this class, not you? You said yourself that the first step in solving a problem is to admit we have one. Well, I think we're making real progress here. We've all identified that we have a problem with our masters. Now that we've done that I think it's only a matter of learning to deal with it."

"Mr. Turner, please sit down," said Mr. Tucker. "I'm in charge of this class and I'll decide when we've identified the problem."

"Why?" asked Cole. "Aren't we supposed to learn from our experiences? Isn't that why we're here? What does it matter how we do that? I think that our little session so far has been very enlightening."

"Because I'm in charge of this class," said Mr. Tucker, his voice tinged with anger. "You're disrupting the entire session. I can see you have, not only a problem with humans, but with demons as well."

"I don't have a problem with demons," said Cole. "I've lived among them my entire life."

"And you've probably resented it your entire life," said Mr. Tucker. "Now, take your seat so we can get on with the class."

"I don't see a problem," said Cole, looking at the rest of the class. "It seems to me that everyone else here agrees with me. We were sent here to deal with our anger issues and we seem to be doing that quite nicely. I think we should continue the way we're going."

"That's not how the class works," said Mr. Tucker. "Now, take your seat before I have you removed from the class."

"Removed?" questioned Cole. "For what? Agreeing with you? You wanted us to address our anger issues and I for one would like to continue, what about the rest of you guys?"

Almost in unison the rest of the class began agree nodding their heads up and down. There were comments about demonic masters that were less than flattering. Cole continued to enflame the outbursts with comments that dealing with their anger against their masters would make them better demons. The entire time Mr. Tucker stood glaring at Cole.


	6. Chapter 6

SIX

"Mr. Turner, sit down this minute," Mr. Tucker finally shouted. "If you don't sit down this very second I'll have you removed from the class. And it's also quite possible I will report to your superiors what a disruptive influence you are and they will deal with you appropriately."

"Is that anger I hear in your voice?" Cole questioned. "And are those threats you're making? My, my, Mr. Tucker, it would seem that we're not the only ones who have anger issues."

"That's ridiculous," said Mr. Tucker. "You're disrupting the class. We're not going to accomplish anything until you sit down and shut up, you half breed murdering scum."

"That's quite an outburst of anger," said Cole. "A few more moments and I wouldn't be surprised if you tried to force me to sit down. Something I'm not about to do."

"Get out," screamed Mr. Tucker. "You're the most uncooperative student I've ever had. You're antagonistic and disruptive and I simply won't have you in my class."

"And if I don't?" questioned Cole. "What are you going to do? Physically force me out of the class?"

Mr. Tucker glared at Cole with anger and hatred in his eyes. His teeth were clenched and his hands were balled into fists.

"Look at your body language," said Cole. "Most of demons in this class have been open and accepting. And yet you seem to be the one all tied up with anger." Cole walked over and picked a mirror off the wall. He held it up so Mr. Tucker could see himself in it. "Isn't that exactly the type of physical manifestation you claim is indicative of unresolved anger issues?"

Mr. Tucker looked at the mirror and the expression on his face suddenly changed.

"Oh my," he exclaimed. "What am I doing? This is totally inappropriate."

"That's what I've been telling you," said Cole. "I'm not going to say you have any unresolved anger issues with either humans or demons. I don't know if you do and I don't really care. All I know is that an outburst of anger doesn't necessarily mean that you have unresolved anger issues. Sometimes it just means you loose your temper."

"But the reports," protested Mr. Tucker, "the surveys, the interviews, the research. That much empirical evidence can't just be wrong."

"I'm not saying it's wrong," said Cole. "Maybe it is true, I don't know. I'm just saying that you can't apply it across the board. A lot of demons do have anger issues with humans. And obviously some have anger issues with their masters. I think that's perfectly normal for demons. They do rule by fear and intimidation, after all. I'm sure that generates a lot of resentment.

"I'm just saying there are other reasons for outbursts of anger. Look, I know that the way I treated the slumlord was wrong. I should never have thrown him out of my office like I did. But that doesn't mean I have unresolved anger issues with humans. I'm the last one to have unresolved anger issues with humans. All I'm saying is consider that an outburst of anger is simply that; an outburst without any subconscious motivations."

"Then why would you be sent to this class if you didn't exhibit a pattern of anger?" asked Mr. Tucker. "What about all the other examples? The Triad, Krell, the witches?"

"I've all ready explained those," said Cole. "I'm a very level headed person most of the time. If I wasn't I wouldn't have become one of the best mercenaries in the Underworld. But as you can see, if someone pushes the right buttons, anyone can loose their temper. That doesn't mean there are any unresolved anger issues."

"I suppose you're right," said Mr. Tucker. "I've been doing this so long I just assumed that inappropriate behavior always had underlying motivations."

"It's like eating," said Cole. "Some people overeat because of depression or anger or unresolved disputes in their lives. They eat to compensate for something. But some people overeat simply because they like food. The key is to be able to distinguish between the two. And to do that you have to listen to what they say and not just make a blanket decision about everyone you come across."

"So," said Mr. Tucker, "how do you know so much about all this?"

"I was a mercenary for a hundred years," said Cole. "Learning what motivates people is part of the territory. Besides, my father was human. I understand human motivations a lot better than most demons. And sometimes what motivates a human is the same thing that motivates a demon."

"You baited me, didn't you?" Mr. Tucker asked.

"It seemed the only way get through to you," said Cole. "Look, I'm sure you're a very good teacher. You just need to learn to listen to your students. The best teachers learn as much from their students as they teach them. I would suggest you get some real world experience and learn what really motivates people. Or demons. You might actually learn a thing or two."

"Maybe you're right," said Mr. Tucker. "I have spent my entire life in the classroom. But getting real world experience could be difficult. Most regular demons don't like bureaucracy demons."

"You'd be surprised how much you can learn from someone who doesn't like you," said Cole.

"You're half human?" questioned Mr. Tucker.

"Yeah. It's kind of a long story. But I don't have any anger issues with humans as a whole. In fact, I'm engaged to a human. I'll admit there are humans I thoroughly detest. But that doesn't mean I have unresolved issues with them. It simply means I'm normal."

"Well, Mr. Turner," said Mr. Tucker, a note of conciliation in his voice, "if you'd please take your seat, we can get on with the class. And maybe we can learn the real reasons you are all here."

Confident that Mr. Tucker would now be more open to his students instead of just deciding he was the ultimate authority on demonic behavior, Cole sat down at his desk.

"Now," said Mr. Tucker, "let's begin again. You've all been sent here because you've had some inappropriate bursts of anger against humans. Let me start by asking, how many of you resent the humans you're forced to work with?"

Cole walked into the manor just as everyone else was sitting down to breakfast. It had been a long night but it was finally over. As he walked into the kitchen everyone looked up at him.

"How did the anger management class go?" Phoebe asked.

Cole held up the diploma Mr. Tucker had given him after the class.

"Well, I guess you passed," said Leo. "All of your anger issues resolved?"

"For the moment," said Cole. "I can't guarantee I won't loose my temper again but at least for the moment I can get my license back."

"We all loose our tempers from time to time," said Piper.

"Some more than others," snickered Paige.

"Well," said Cole, "next time I'll keep a closer hold on my anger. I guess even being half human means I still have some things to learn about being human. I'll have to unlearn some of the behavior I've taken for granted for the past one hundred years."

"We're all constantly learning," said Leo. "It's part of being human."

"I still think you'd better stay out of legal aid for a while," said Paige. "Cynthia can hold a grudge for quite a while."

"Don't worry," said Cole. "I think I'm going to stick with criminal law at least for a while. At least with criminals you expect violent behavior. It's not quite so unexpected."

"Well, since you're unemployed again that means we can spend some more time together," said Phoebe. "Only this time without me turning into Mr. Darren Stephens because of Gram's cursed ring."

"I told you before," said Cole, "you wouldn't be Mr. Darren Stephens. You'd be Mrs. Cole Turner."

"Is that supposed to be an improvement?" giggled Paige.

The End

If you've enjoyed this story, you can find more "Charmed" stories at my website, Creative Passions, listed in my bio. You can also post your own "Charmed" stories or other stories if you like to write fan fiction.


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